For the first Round, 24 competitors are divided into four heats of six surfers. Heats are generally 45 minutes and surfers may catch as many waves as they wish with a panel of five judges scoring each ride on a scale of 1 to 10.

Each competitor's two best waves are counted, with their best wave being doubled. The three highest scoring surfers advance on to the semifinals, which run in the same format. The final heat is generally one hour in length.

The Nazare Challenge event window runs from October 1, 2018 through March 31, 2019.